The University of Washington School of Dentistry again ranks among the world’s best dental schools, placing No. 7 globally in the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy’s 2021 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) subject rankings.
Six of the top seven schools in the field of dental and oral sciences, led by the University of Michigan at No. 1, were American.
The UW’s high ARWU ranking comes in the wake of another strong showing earlier this year in Britain’s Quacquarelli-Symonds (QS) World University Rankings. The 2021 QS rankings, whose metrics are more broadly based than ARWU’s, placed the School of Dentistry fourth in the United States and 15th in the world. For the last several years in both surveys, the school has consistently placed among the world’s top 15 and the United States’ top half-dozen, rising as high as No. 3 globally.
“We are extremely gratified to continue to be ranked so highly in the U.S. and in the world,” said Dean Gary Chiodo. “This is one measure that confirms that we are an outstanding dental school.”
The ARWU survey heavily weights research performance and reputation, as indicated by peer-reviewed journal citations and other metrics. Shanghai Jiao Tong University began issuing its rankings in 2003.
The School of Dentistry places a high priority on research, reflecting the UW’s global identity as a leading research university. Nor are research activities confined to faculty and full-time researchers. Students also pursue research under faculty mentorship through programs such as the Summer Research Fellowship Program and the Multidisciplinary Predoctoral Clinical Research Training Program. The school also offers a DDS/PhD track that allows students to pursue advanced research after earning their dental degree.
In addition, the school is home to the Timothy A. DeRouen Center for Global Oral Health, which since 2013 has promoted international collaborations in dental research and education. For three decades, the school also conducted the Summer Institute in Dental and Craniofacial Clinical Research Methods, drawing participants from dozens of countries. The COVID-19 pandemic forced cancellation of the institute last year, but the program was recast this year as Craniofacial and Oral Health Online (COHO) Summer Institute, offered in partnership with the Seattle Children’s Hospital Craniofacial Center. This interactive online institute will provide eight modules over two months with training in the areas of planning a research project, clinical epidemiology/study design, clinical trials, surveys and measurement, biostatistics, and ethics.
While the pandemic posed special challenges to researchers everywhere during the past year, the school stepped to the forefront in conducting studies on the pandemic and oral health clinical procedures. Faculty members at the school’s satellite oral surgery clinic at Harborview Medical Center and in other departments published a number of papers after Seattle became the initial U.S. epicenter of the outbreak.
“Our faculty, staff, and students comprise the team that makes us successful,” Dean Chiodo said. “These dedicated and talented colleagues maintain a continual focus on excellence in our mission areas of teaching, patient care, research, and outreach.”